Below is a comment received from a Midwest activist on the recent exchange
of letters between the chiefs of Split Lake Cree Nation and Pimicikamak Cree
Nation, and my response to the activist.
Ann Stewart, US information officer, PCN
stewartship@visi.com

------------
Dear Ann:
From reading these letters I see a tribe beaten. The Split Lake Cree
have waived their rights and are now dealing with the devil. I feel the same
emotions for their people as I do the Pimicikamak Cree because they are a
people who have been beaten by Mega Hydro. They are a people who have lost
their will to fight for their rights. This is so unfortunate and saddening.

----------
Dear Activist:
There may be some SL Crees who are not beaten, but their leadership might be
in a pact with the devil. Split Lake is now going to show up at the
ej/energy conference. It would be very useful for activists to register for
the conference in advance and determine from the presentations what an
appropriate response should be. You could also communicate your
determination to stop buying power from Manitoba Hydro directly to Split
Lake and Pimicikamak Cree Nation (thus giving hope to the people in all of
the Cree communities who do not want more pacts with the devil). In New
England and New York, Inuit who were in support of Hydro Quebec were trotted
around at the same time the James Bay Crees were opposing the planned
destruction of the Great Whale River for mega-hydrodevelopment: Americans
quickly caught on.

I continue to believe that cultural and environmental stresses on the Crees
and their boreal forest/lakes environment are a result of our current and
future energy demand and therefore we, American energy users, need to find
solutions on our side of the border.